Completely
by dream2bawrtr
Summary: The Winter Soldier had executed one particular mission flawlessly for HYDRA. Seven years later, Bucky Barnes and the others save Vera Graham's life, a young and very brilliant biomedical engineer. Little did they know that Vera was the daughter of one of The Winter Soldier's many targets.
1. Don't be afraid

_**I do not own the characters of Captain America**_

* * *

 _ **This story was abandoned. So with permission from the original author, I will be editing, changing some things and continuing it.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy...**_

* * *

 _ **...**_

Chapter 1

...

He stood on the roof of the building with his eyes focused on his target. There were a lot of people around said target, but he didn't care. It was a party after all.

'Complete the mission.' he thought, and easily pulled the trigger as he exhaled.

When the man fell to the floor, he heard the familiar screams followed by people scattering from the scene and a few surrounding the dead man. As he watched the chaos at the party, one of the men in black suits discovered him.

"Time to go." he heard a voice through his ear bud.

He threw a last glance at the scene beneath him, and within moments he was gone.

...

"Vera, don't go up there!" One of her father's employees shouted, as she held onto her roughly.

"Joan, what is going on? Where's my dad?"

The older woman held onto Vera and as tears ran down her face, she shook her head." Don't go up there, please!"

A chill went up Vera's spine, as she heard the tremble of Joan's voice." Where's my dad?" Vera shouted, but all Joan did was cry instead of answering her.

"I'm gonna find out myself, OK?" the young brunette uttered, and walked passed the other guests from the party.

When Vera finally reached the elevator, she was stopped by one of her father's bodyguards.

"Don't go upstairs, miss Graham." he said firmly, with an expressionless look on his face.

"Why? What happened? Is my father OK?" she asked, her voice trembling heavily.

"Please, tell me. Don't leave me in the dark. Where's my dad?"

The man shook his head, and swallowed.

"No." Vera whispered, as her whole body shook.

At that, she ran towards the stairwell. There was no one there to stop her from going up the stairs where the party was held.

When Vera reached her destination, her heart rammed against her rib cage. What was she going to find? As she walked into the ballroom, she immediately felt sick to her stomach.

"Daddy."

Her grey eyes landed on the middle of the room, where she saw him.

"Daddy!" her scream was bone chilling.

The bodyguards were startled by her presence, and immediately put a blanket over her father's body, but Vera wouldn't have it.

She sank to the floor near her father, and tore the blanket away, her tears spilling from her pretty eyes.

"Don't leave me daddy." she whispered, as she touched his face.

"Miss Graham, the Police have arrived. Come with me, please." an older bodyguard asked. Vera ignored him though.

And as she kept looking at her dead father, her whole body shook violently from her heart wrenching sobs.

The pretty white dress she wore was soaked in her father's blood. But it wasn't white anymore. It became _**Red**_..

...

"Miss Graham, please get up." Vera heard a woman say, after a while.

She didn't react, so the detective gave the two officers a nod. They walked towards the young brunette and gently put a hand on her upper arm.

"Come on, Miss. Let's go. Let's get you home."

At that moment Vera felt like her life was over. She had no one. She was alone; all alone. She never knew her mother. Her father was all she had, and now he's dead.

As she felt two hands guiding her up, she wanted to refuse, but all her strength was gone.

"Let's go, Miss." was the last thing Vera heard a voice say, before it went dark before her very eyes.

... ... ...

 **Seven years later**

 **..**

"Good evening, Vera." she heard her colleague say.

Vera smiled at the man." See you tomorrow, Walter."

It must be late, if _he_ was going home. She immediately threw a glance at the clock, and saw that it was almost 11 PM.

"Five more minutes." she told herself, and went back to work.

Vera Graham was a very brilliant biomedical engineer, and ran her own company. She graduated top of her class, and at the time she was also the youngest.

Well, it was actually the company her father had left her after he was murdered. Vera hated it when people said 'her company.' Why? Because it wasn't hers really; her father had worked his whole life to build it up from scratch. It was his, and always would be, Vera felt. So she always corrected people when they say it was hers.

As a sigh escaped her plump pink lips, her phone rang." Shut it." she mumbled, and let it go to voicemail.

At the moment she was on the verge of perfecting something she had worked on for years now. The last few years she had dedicated all her time in her project. She called it 'her baby'. It's true she had no social life at all, but she didn't mind. She loved her job. There were three important things in her life: WORK, WORK WORK.

As her mind drifted off to her life outside the lab, a sad smile crept on her face. When her father was alive, she was a big party girl. She dated a lot of guys; not being serious with any of them. After her father died, she kept to herself and decided to let no one into her life anymore. It was too painful, when they left or died. So Vera closed her heart off from the world, only focusing on her studies. No more parties, no more girlfriends coming over, no more night clubs, no more flying off to Paris to buy expensive designer clothes, no more guys. Just NO. MORE. She had left that life completely behind, and never, not even once looked back.

Vera was taken out of her thoughts by her phone. Again." Damn it, who the hell could it be!"

She huffed and walked over to the table, and grabbed her phone out of her bag." You're very persistent, are you? What is it?" she said, after picking up the phone.

"Miss Graham, are you alone right now?" she heard a sultry voice say on the other line.

"Yes, and who are you?"

"My name is Natasha Romanoff, and we're on our way to get you."

At that, Vera furrowed her brows." What?! What do you mean you're on your way to get me! What's going on?!"

"Miss Graham, please lock up your lab, now. You're in grave danger."

"What, no! I won't do anything until you tell me who you are and what your intentions are. I'm calling security!" Vera exclaimed, and hung up the phone.

Vera then called for security, and waited. Her phone rang again. Damn it! It was that same 'Natasha' woman. She ignored it, and looked up. Vera was relieved, when she saw three security guards walking towards her. As a sigh escaped her lips, she rushed towards the door. But just as she was about to unlock the lab door, she saw men in black masks appear from nowhere. They began shooting, and killed two guards instantly. Vera watched in horror, as one of the security guards got shot through his head, the blood spattering all over the thick glass.

Vera heard a loud scream, and didn't even realize that it was her own voice. She was the one screaming!

Within minutes the men in black masks had forced the lab door open, storming towards Vera. As a silent sob tore at her, a single tear rolled down her cheek. This was it. She was going to die... right now.

The men were aiming their guns at her, but didn't shoot." Get her!" she heard one of them say.

But just as they were about to grab her, the lights went out. After that, she heard people getting knocked down and men screaming from pain. Vera hid under the table, and waited, her heart hammering against her chest. Never in her life had she felt this terrified before. After a few minutes, the lights were on again. As Vera looked up from her hiding spot, she saw a redhead, a blond man... Captain America, and a man with dark brown hair fight the men who were going to kidnap her. When they were done fighting, she looked around her lab, seeing the chaos. 'My work! They destroyed my life's work.' she thought, and closed her eyes tightly.

"Bucky, help Miss Graham up. She's not safe here. We're going to head out first, and check if the coast is clear." Captain America said.

"And be gentle, OK?" the red head with the familiar sultry voice added.

'Oh.' Vera thought, 'The read head was the woman who had called and warned me about the men in black masks.'

As her eyes fluttered open, she saw the man with dark hair closing in on her. Her whole body trembled, as he came closer. Vera knew that he and the two others had saved her life, but still she was terrified. Why? They saved her, but they also killed those men. She even saw up close how this dark-haired man had mercilessly killed one of the others... with his bare hands!

"Miss Graham, can you get out from under the table please?" she heard him say.

"No." Vera replied, and shook her head.

"Miss Graham, now." he ordered, in that deep tone of voice.

"No, I will not. Not until you people tell me why you ruined my life's work!" she exclaimed.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, OK?" he promised.

At that, Vera looked up again, and saw it... His arm; he had a metal left arm. As she stared at it, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

"My eyes are up here, Miss Graham. And you do know it's not polite to stare, right?"

Vera let out a deep breath, and locked eyes with this mysterious man." Come on, let's go." he said, and grabbed her hand.

As he helped her on her feet, Vera purposely broke eye contact. Her whole body trembled from fear, as she stood so close to him. He noticed it, and let out a breath. He was used to it though; people tend to fear him. He didn't know why, but he decided at that moment that he didn't want this young woman to be afraid of him.

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." were the words that left his lips.


	2. Keeping her alive

**Chapter 2**

...

All Vera wanted right now was to go home, take a shower and jump into bed. She was beyond exhausted, but no matter what she said, that dark-haired man refused.

"Why are you doing this? I have to go home, right now!" she exclaimed, her grey eyes locked on his clear blue ones.

From her seat, she was glaring at him mercilessly but he didn't care. "You are still in danger, Miss Graham. For now you can't go home. It's not safe."

Vera huffed, and looked out the car window. There was no point in arguing with that... that machine-man! Argh!

"Where are we heading then? We've been on the road for six hours now." she asked, her face turned away from him.

"I'm taking you somewhere where you'll be safe... for now." he replied, and grabbed his phone from his pocket.

As a sigh escaped her pink lips, Vera's eyes fell shut. 'Why is this happening?' was what went through her head.

"OK, Miss Graham and I will take the next car, and drive to that location." the dark-haired man said, and finished the phone call.

"Can you please tell me what's going on, mister?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Why is this happening? What did I ever do to piss off those bad guys?"

At that, he looked her straight in the eyes." I'm sorry, but I'm following orders Miss. When the time is right, my friends _will_ tell you everything, OK?"

"Why aren't we going to the Police? They can help, right? They can protect me?"

He was going to reply, but then the car came into a halt. The man jumped out the SUV, and opened the door on her side." Let's go, Miss."

At that moment, Vera's anger rose inside her, burning in the bowels of her stomach." No!" she huffed, and glared at him.

" And stop calling me Miss! My name is Vera, OK? And also stop ordering me around, and treating me like a child!"

"Well if you act like one. I will treat you like one." he remarked, as he placed his hands on her waist an hoisted her swiftly out the SUV.

"You can go back, Ed." he said to the driver, so the other man drove away leaving the two of them behind in the middle of nowhere.

There Vera stood, flabbergasted at how that bully just picked her up like she weight nothing. 'How dare he touch me!' she thought. That did _not_ just happen.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere with you, OK? Bully." Vera uttered.

"Don't act so stubbornly, Mis... I mean, Vera. It's cold, and it will get colder. You're not even wearing a jacket." he said, the tone of his voice annoyed.

"Well, if you brought me home so I could've at least thrown in some clothes in a bag, I would not be cold at the moment!" she retorted, her teeth clattering loudly.

At that, his clear blue eyes softened, no longer seemed annoyed at her. He closed the gap between them, and took off his black leather jacket." Here, wear this."

Vera hated when people ordered her around; he got it and added. "Please. We just saved your life, I cannot let you freeze to death now. Can I? Captain America will have my head if that would happen."

"Fine. Only because you said please, and cause you didn't call me Miss."

He nodded, and replied." My name is Bucky Barnes."

"Good to know, because in my head I was calling you 'machine-man bully'."

At that, he locked eyes with her, a twinkle appearing in those blue orbs.

"Let's get out of here."

... ..

The ride to where ever they were headed now, was a peaceful one. She stopped asking her companion questions... for now. Vera was exhausted, and a few times almost fell asleep but refused to do so. She wanted to know where Barnes was taking her. It was strange that she didn't fear him as much. Not so long ago, when they were in her lab, she was really afraid of him. But that fear evaporated without any explanation. As Vera shook that thought off, she was reminded that no one knew where she was. Not her colleagues, her staff at home, nor the board of her company. Oh my; they will be searching for her. Especially if they discovered her destroyed lab with those bodies in it. Those dead bodies... Vera didn't know how many employees of her those bad guys had murdered. Why is it that death always followed her? Thinking about the dead bodies of the security guards, made horrifying images of years ago appear in her conscious mind. It was like it happened just yesterday... Vera clearly saw the scene again before her; only red... her white dress soaked in blood.

"Daddy." was the word that tumbled from her pink lips.

"Excuse me?" she heard a voice say.

At that, Vera shook her head and looked at Barnes." N- nothing. I wasn't talking to you."

"OK." he furrowed his brows, and yet decided to let it go.

Vera swallowed the huge lump that had formed in her throat; she never talked about her father with anybody except her therapist.

"Yup, we've reached our destination, Mis... erhh, I mean Vera." he corrected himself.

As the house came into view, Vera observed her surroundings. It was a normal-sized house made of red bricks. When the SUV came into a halt, Vera slowly stepped out the car. She immediately shivered, missing the warmth of the car.

"Come on." Bucky suggested." Let me get you out of the cold."

"OK." was the only thing she said, and followed him inside the house.

...

At the moment, Vera was inside the bathroom. Barnes was in the living room, attempting to get the fireplace to work. As she stared into her reflection in the mirror, Vera broke down. For seven long years she hadn't shed a tear, no matter what she had to go through. Even during the sessions with her therapist, Vera stayed hard and never faltered. The day after she had lost her father, she swore to never _ever_ be that soft again. Vera felt like she had used up all of her tears the day her father died- And look at her now; she was sobbing like a little girl in front of the bathroom mirror. Why was this happening?

'What did they want from me?' she thought.

"Vera? Are you OK?" she heard a voice say through the bathroom door.

It was Barnes; she hadn't realized that she was that loud. At that, Vera leaned onto the door and said. "I'm fine, Barnes."

"Are you sure?" she heard him say.

Vera nodded- even though she knew that he couldn't see her." Yes, I'm sure."

"OK, if you say so." he replied, and continued. "You go freshen up; I'm gonna see what I can find in the kitchen to cook."

"Sure, you do that." Bucky heard her say.

...

Wiping off the tears from her eyes, Vera decided to suck it up. She took off his leather jacket, and placed it gently on the counter. Within minutes Vera stepped inside the bathtub. As the warm water enveloped her cold body, she let out a deep breath." Oh, God." she mumbled. The warm water felt amazing! As her eyes fell shut, Vera took in the wonderful feeling. It was then, when she realized that she hadn't taken her medication.' Argh!' She got up, and walked towards her jeans. She was relieved to see the two bottles in the pockets. The subscription said to take in two pills, but she decided to take three instead. It was going to help her relax more. After that, Vera sank into the warm water once again.

'Yes... this was better.' she thought. Vera lightly massaged the sides of her head, slowly tumbling into a deep sleep.

..

In the kitchen, Bucky had whipped up something for them to eat. He was starving at the moment, and assumed Vera was too. After he turned off the stove, he grabbed the pot and placed it on the table. There were a bunch of bottled water in the fridge, so he grabbed a pair and placed it near the plates. Just as he was about to take a swig from one of the bottles, his phone rang. It was Steve.

"Hey, how is she holding up?" he asked.

"Erhh... She's doing OK, despite the situation she's in." Bucky replied.

"That's good, you have to keep her there for a couple days."

Bucky sighed into the phone." OK, but she's asking me a lot of questions, Steve. I cannot keep dodging them. What can I tell her? Everything?"

"No! Not everything." Steve replied.

At that, Steve told Bucky what he could tell her and what he shouldn't.

"OK, fine. Later." Bucky said, not exactly pleased that he was about to omit some things, when answering Vera's burning questions.

"Buck, keep her safe. OK?"

"I will."

"You _do_ know how important she is, right?" the blond man added.

"Yes, I know Steve! She is very important, that's why HYDRA was after her. I _know_." Bucky replied.

"Later, Buck." Steve said, and then ended the conversation.

...

At the moment, Bucky was waiting for Vera at the dining table. His stomach was growling violently; he was famished.

" What is she doing?" he muttered, and walked up the stairs. As he stood in front of the bathroom door, he knocked on it.

"Vera? Are you OK in there?"

He waited, but didn't receive an answer from the brunette. As he listened closely, he furrowed his brows.

" What the... ?" he said, and knocked harder.

When she didn't react to the loud pounding on the door, Bucky broke it down with one swift kick. As he stepped inside, he saw her in the tub completely submerged in the water.

"Oh, no. Vera!" Bucky shouted, and grabbed her.

As he carried her out of the water, he kept calling out her name." Vera! Wake up!"

Bucky gently placed her on the bathroom floor, and immediately covered her body with the first towel he saw. At the sight of her pale lips and face, his heart rammed wildly against his rib cage.

" Vera!" he called out.

No, no, no. He just had one job; keep her alive!

"Damn it! What did you do, Vera?"

Still no reaction from her. Without hesitation, Bucky used mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on her. He knew what fear was; he knew it all too well. But at that very moment, he was beyond terrified. He couldn't let her die. No, not on his watch! Seconds passed, but to him it seemed like hours. And then finally Vera coughed up all the water that she had swallowed.

Thank Goodness! She's alive...

As a sigh escaped Bucky's lips, his eyes fell shut for a few seconds.' She's alive.'

When he opened his eyes, he watched as she carefully sat up with the towel around her body. Vera looked up at him, her gorgeous grey eyes filled with confusion.

"Wha- what happened? Why am I lying on the bathroom floor?" she asked, as her eyes welled up.

As those words reached Bucky's ears, his eyes landed on the two bottles on the bathroom counter. At that, he got angry.

'Did she do it on purpose?' he thought, as his hands clenched.

"Bucky? Tell me?" Vera asked, still confused about the situation.

At that, he locked eyes with the pretty brunette who he just saved from drowning.

" You almost drowned, Vera. What did you _do_? Did you do it on _purpose_?" he asked, his clear blue eyes filled with anger and disbelieve.


	3. No big deal

Chapter 3.

* * *

 _ **"You almost drowned, Vera. What did you do? Did you do it on purpose?" he asked, his clear blue eyes filled with anger and disbelieve."**_

 _ **..**_

As it dawned on Vera what he was insinuating, she looked at him, hurt written in her pretty grey eyes. 'How dare he?' She would never!

"Get out!" she threatened, while getting on her feet.

"I asked y—"Bucky began, but she mercilessly cut him off.

"Get the _fuck_ out! Now!" she spat, the venom in her voice evident.

At that, Bucky huffed and decided to let it go. For now…

Tears welled up in Vera's eyes, the anger consuming her whole being. How could he think so low of her? She would never be that selfish!

"We will continue this talk." He simply said, and walked out the bathroom.

The moment he was gone, Vera wrapped the towel tightly around her body. She wanted to get dressed, but that big bully broke down the freaking door! As a sigh escaped her lips, Vera walked towards the door. It was split in two; unbelievable!

"Savage." Was the word that left her lips, as she walked towards one of the bedrooms to see what she could find to wear. There was a closet full of clothes; she hoped that some of the clothing was her size.

… ..

At the moment, Bucky was staring at the fireplace. The crackling sound of the firewood was the only thing he heard; it was _that_ quiet in the safe house. As he took a swig from the bottled water, he contemplated what to do next. He wanted to call Steve or Natasha. What was he supposed to do with a young woman who was so desperate that she wanted to kill herself? The situation he was in was escalating rapidly; he had no idea how to handle this. To him, Steve or the others it was a daily thing to deal with bad guys, spilling blood and bullets coming their way. And he understood those things were foreign to a young woman like Vera. She didn't asked for any of this. But he didn't think she would choose the easy way out.

Bucky was just about to grab his phone, when he saw Vera walk down the stairs. She was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, and a pink woolen sweater. Her dark brown hair was up in a ponytail, her bangs falling in her face. He hadn't paid much attention to it before now, but the way the light of the fireplace illuminated the living room, made him really _see_ her. Vera was _absolutely_ stunning...

For just a couple of seconds he let his guard down around her, but shook that thought off immediately. When she stood near the dining table, he motioned her to take a seat.

"Let's eat. You must be famished." He said, and immediately dug in.

Vera had the urge to ignore him, but he was right. She was really hungry. They ate in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

"To answer your—"she began, but he also started talking." I wanted to—

"You go first." She said.

"No, you go." Bucky insisted.

Playing with the last bit of food on her plate, Vera let out a deep breath, her eyes focused on her plate." I didn't do it on purpose." She stated, her voice low.

Bucky observed the brunette, and wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not. He didn't know her that well, because he'd just met her. And this was really not his area of expertise; talking to people about their feelings and stuff. At the moment, he'd give anything for either Steve or Sam to barge in so they could take over for him. He really wasn't up to it.

This particular mission was harder than he could've anticipated. Protect her, keep her alive, and keep her safe. Those were easy, but talk to her about what's going through that head of hers? He'd probably get an F for that one. Bucky really didn't know how to handle this, so he thought hard before saying the wrong things to her. He didn't want to make Vera feel worse.

Moments passed, and Bucky hadn't realized that Vera was impatiently waiting for him to react. She misinterpreted his silence for something else, not knowing he was trying to be careful with his words. When Vera had enough, she glared at him and shouted.

"You could at least talk to me, you know! What is it? Don't you believe me? Do you really think I wanted to off myself? Huh?"

Bucky instantly locked eyes with her, and replied." What are those in the bottles? What are they for? Are you telling me that you accidentally took in more pills than was prescribed?"

Vera rolled her eyes at him, got up and closed the gap between them. "So I took in three pills! I sometimes do that, OK? It's no big deal!"

At that, Bucky also got on his feet and looked down at her." No big deal! What do you mean, NO BIG DEAL?"

He towered over her, but Vera held her own. She didn't mean it that way, but now Bucky misinterpreted _her_ words.

"Miss Graham, do you know what you put me through when I saw you in the bath tub? You weren't breathing anymore! You had no pulse! I thought surely that you were dead! Do you understand? You almost died, and here you are saying nonchalantly that it was no big deal?" he growled, his blue eyes piercing at her grey ones.

Vera clenched her hands, and sighed." I didn't mean it like that, OK?"

"Then what do you mean? Does your life not mean anything to you? You, Vera, you are a very important person. I— we cannot let anything happen to you. I have to keep you safe. I know I am capable of that, but _not_ if you don't value your own precious life!" he said, as his jaw clenched.

At that very moment, Vera's emotions got the better of her. The man who stood in front of her, was the only one around, so she didn't care anymore if he saw her falter. She broke down, and let it all out. Her body shook violently from her loud sobs. Taken aback, Bucky watched as Vera cried. He felt so uncomfortable, and didn't know what to do or say.

'Damn it! Why aren't you here, Steve?' He thought.

Bucky had the urge to walk away, but he knew he couldn't do that. Instead, he took a step closer to Vera and wrapped his arms around her small frame. He wasn't sure how she would react, but he took the risk anyway. This seemed like the right thing to do.

Vera didn't expect the hug; she almost pushed him away. She wasn't used to human contact anymore. After her mother left when she was six, Vera never saw her again. She sometimes forgets how she looked like, and yet Vera remembered her mom's loving touches and warm hugs. Her father was a great dad, but he wasn't a 'hug kinda person.' He showed his affection towards Vera through words and wonderful deeds.

It wasn't an awkward hug, or a loose or fast one. It was a proper hug; one she didn't even know she needed. As Vera's eyes fluttered shut, Bucky held her even tighter. His heart was doing strange things at the moment. She was _so_ innocent, and didn't deserve what had happened and what was to come. HYDRA wasn't done with her. They wanted her in their claws, so she could give them what they wanted from her. But he wasn't going to let it go that far. He was going to protect her from them no matter what.

… ..

They were drinking coffee, when Vera said. "It wasn't on purpose, Bucky. I didn't attempt to kill myself, OK? I sometimes take in three pills, but this time I underestimated how tired I was. I didn't think that it would come to that. Whenever I do it, I immediately go to bed.

As those words reached Bucky's ears, he nodded. "OK."

Vera narrowed her eyes, and said. "OK? What do you mean by it? Do you believe me or not?"

He looked at her, and replied." I think so."

"You think so?" At that, Vera shook her head." I'm telling the truth. I would never harm myself!" she exclaimed.

"Vera, please. Don't get so worked up about it. It doesn't matter what I think. I'm just the guy who has to keep you safe, and I will. I promise you. Why don't you go to bed? We both know that you need it."

At that, Vera bit her bottom lip, doing her very best not to yell at him." Well, what about you? You are tired too. Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Yes, I will. But I'm going to double-check first if the house is secure. Go on." Bucky replied, the tone of his voice soft.

At that, Vera nodded. "OK. Good night... Bucky. And thank you for saving me from drowning."

"Good night, Vera."

... ..

Vera woke up, gasping for air. She was in a sitting position and observed her surroundings. She didn't recognize the room she was in. Where was she again?

Oh. After a minute or two Vera remembered where she was. As she touched her cheek, she felt the hot tears rolling down.

"Daddy." she whispered.

Vera closed her eyes for a couple of moments, trying to forget the images of the day her father was murdered. But it was no use. It's been more than seven years and she could still remember every little detail of that horrible day. She shook her head furiously and got up.

"Let it go, Vera. It was a nightmare." she whispered, as she desperately tried to hold onto reality.

After she had calmed down a bit, Vera went to the bathroom to wash her face. She then walked back into the bedroom, her eyes landing on the clock. It was 4:30 AM.

At that, she got into bed again, attempting to drift off to dreamland. But no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to fall asleep. At one point, Vera felt so tired and powerless. The events of the last days had taken a toll on her. As her eyes fell shut, a loud sob escaped her plump pink lips.

"Vera? Are you OK?" she heard Bucky say from the other side of the bedroom door.

She immediately swallowed her tears." Uhuh. Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yes, Bucky."

"Can I come in? I want to see for myself if everything is fine."

"Why don't you just kick down the door, you're good at that. Aren't you?" Vera said. After those words left her lips, she immediately regretted it. It was no time to make bad jokes. Bucky was being serious, and she knew that.

"What?" he said.

At that, Vera rolled her eyes and opened the bedroom door for him." Come in."

Bucky looked around the bedroom, and observed Vera from head to toe.

"Are you satisfied? I'm not attempting anything, OK?" she promised.

After one last glance, Bucky nodded." Good."

Bucky was just about to walk away, when Vera stopped him. "Wait." she said, and held him on his upper arm.

"What is it?" he asked concerned, because Vera suddenly looked extremely sad.

"I need to know. Why is this happening, Bucky? What did I do to piss off those bad guys?"

At that, Bucky cleared his throat and said." It's all messed up, Vera. I cannot tell you everything, but I will try to explain it."

She locked eyes with him, and firmly said. "Tell me. Just give me something, OK. Anything! I saw a man I knew for more than two years get shot through the head, and I couldn't do anything to help him. Tell me why he had to die. Tell me what they want from me, tell me why so many people had to die that night. Please?"


	4. Wrong on many levels

**Chapter 4**

... ..

A month had passed since Bucky and Vera arrived at the safe house. They didn't have much to do, except for taking long strolls in the forest. Inside the red brick house it was always cold, so Bucky went to the woods every two or three days to get firewood. The beautiful brunette, and her protector—the man with the metal arm had gotten to know each other pretty well the past month. They didn't talk much about their past, but they have gotten to know little things about each other.

Like for instance, Vera hated waking up early. While Bucky usually forces her to wake up before the sun came up. He knew that she liked her coffee with sugar, and lots of cream. While he hated sugar and cream in his coffee. Every night, Bucky woke up at least five times to check their surroundings, and to check up on her. She knew that, but not once asked him about it. Vera also knew that Bucky had nightmares every night; she had asked him one time about it, but he avoided the question, immediately changing the subject. She didn't want to press him about it, so she let it go. Bucky knew exactly when something was bothering Vera; she chewed on her bottom lip whenever that was the case.

Thinking about the things he had found out about Vera, made Bucky's heart do weird things. He shouldn't be thinking like this, because when it was time for Vera to go back to her old life, he'd never see her again. But even if he tried, he couldn't help himself.

The main reason why Bucky had been waking her up so early is, because he had been training her. Vera was the kind of woman who could do amazing things in her lab, and before that, her knowledge of hair, beauty and designer clothes would make the best beauty gurus in the world jealous. But fighting? She never ever fought in her whole life, afraid of breaking her perfect manicured nails.

And the last month Bucky had forced her to do just _that_.

 _Even the simplest moves were difficult for her. "I am here for you, Vera to keep you safe. But if it came down to it, and you had to defend yourself, it would be handy if you knew some moves. And we have the time you know. What are we going to do the whole day? Sleep?"_

 _At that, Vera rolled her light grey eyes at him." And eat." She mumbled._

" _What?"_

" _Nothing, Bucky."_

" _I also can teach you to shoot a gun." He said._

 _At that, Vera shook her head furiously." No. That I refuse to do, Bucky." She stated, her pretty eyes boring into his, filled with fear._

" _OK, no shooting guns then." Bucky agreed, because he saw the look in her eyes._

… .. ...

 _ **Present day**_

Bucky was kicking her ass in training. He was determined to teach her to fight, because he wanted her to be able to defend herself whenever the situation presented itself. He was being very hard on her, considering she was just a newbie at fighting. Vera hadn't had any training whatsoever, before this and he knew that! And yet, he acted like he was training someone who had experience. Even Steve attempted to come in between them and told Bucky on the phone to take it easy on her, but Bucky ignored the blond man completely and went on.

At one point, Vera couldn't take it anymore and said. "Bucky, please. Can we stop? We've been doing this for six hours straight!"

She laid flat on her back, while Bucky hovered over her, looking down at her with an expressionless look on his face.

"Fine, but don't think that our enemy will stop if you asked them to. Remember that, Vera!"

She nodded, and murmured a soft." I know."

As Vera attempted to get on her feet, her whole body ached tremendously. All of her muscles screamed in pain, so she failed at getting up. When Bucky saw that, he shook his head and gave her a hand. He had a bottle of water in his right hand, so he offered Vera his left hand. Her knees weren't cooperating though, she almost sank to the floor again, but of course Bucky noticed immediately and held her up by gripping her gently. Bucky let the bottle fall to the floor, as his right hand swiftly gripped her hip, while his metal hand gripped her tiny waist lightly.

She stood so close to him, looking at his face. Bucky had a three day old stubble, Vera noticed. Then her eyes darted away from it towards his eyes. Gosh, his blue eyes were so beautiful. At that, Vera attempted to shake those inappropriate thoughts off, by shaking her head. She cleared her throat, and broke eye contact.

"Bucky, I want this, OK? I want to learn to fight. I know at first I hated it, but I've come to realize you're right. I have to know how to at least defend myself." Vera's voice was trembling a little, when those words tumbled from her pink lips.

"Vera, look at me."

At that, she locked eyes with him again. "Yeah?"

"I'm here for you, for anything and whenever you need, OK? But I still think I have to teach you to fire a gun."

At that, she nodded. "Our enemy will have guns, and a lot of them. I know, but I'm not ready for that yet."

"OK. Do you maybe want to tell me why you don't want to even touch a gun?" he asked, as his blue eyes bored into hers.

Vera suddenly didn't know how to reply; Bucky was being so nice and don't forget his hands were still gripping her lightly. The feeling of his cold metal hand on her waist, made her a bit lightheaded. 'No, no, no, Vera! Don't you dare go there!' she reminded herself.

"No, I just feel uncomfortable around them, is all." She replied, her voice trembling slightly.

"OK, but you _will_ tell me when you're ready to learn to handle a gun?"

Vera's eyes almost fluttered shut, when she felt his cold metal fingers squeezing her waist. "So, we have an agreement then. When the time is right, I'll tell you." she managed to say.

"Can you stand on your own now?" Bucky asked, his clear blue eyes still locked on hers.

"Yes." She replied, her voice squeaky because his manly scent had invaded her nostrils, making her tummy do stubborn flip flops.

"I will let go of you now, OK?" He asked.

Vera nodded and thanked the Lord that she finally was able to stand on her own feet; they were a bit wobbly though.

"Bucky, are we done? Can I go now?" Vera pleaded.

He nodded, so Vera hastily grabbed her towel and bottled water, and strode out the third bedroom—the one Bucky had turned into their private 'gym' one month ago.

When she had closed the bathroom door behind her, Vera let out the breath that she'd been holding, glad that the fighting session with Bucky was finally over. She kicked of her shoes, took off her clothes and jumped into the shower. The warm water felt amazing; it was soothing her aching muscles at the moment.

"You are one mean teacher, Bucky Barnes, do you know that?" Vera whispered.

The last few days Vera noticed that Bucky was on edge, but she couldn't figure out why. She had heard him speaking to Steve on the phone; it sounded like they were having an argument. She wasn't eavesdropping or anything, but she _did_ hear Bucky say the word package a few times. But before Vera was able to make out what _exactly_ they were talking about, Bucky walked out the house. For some unknown reason he was very tense, since that particular phone call. What happened? Was he acting out on her during training, because of it? That made her wonder.

Vera did want to at least learn the basics of fighting, but she never thought that it would be _this_ difficult. It was easier for her to develop systems and products for use in the fields of biology and health. Or design devices used in various medical procedures.

A sigh escaped her lips, as she wrapped a towel around her body. But when Vera walked towards the sink, she stumbled onto her shoes that she had kicked off earlier.

"Damn it!" she hissed loudly.

'Why am I acting so clumsy today?' she thought. She wondered if it had to do with Bucky.

Bucky Barnes. Now _that_ was a topic she wanted to avoid. He was attractive; oh he definitely was. At that, Vera instantly kicked herself mentally. "No, don't go there Vera Graham." she scolded herself.

 _ **... . The next day ... .**_

"We're running out of supplies _again_ , Vera." Bucky said, as Vera walked down the stairs. She was wearing blue jeans and a black sweater, her dark brown hair was down, falling over her shoulders.

"Are you going into town again?" she asked.

He nodded, and began to make a list of items they needed. "You're coming with me." He remarked.

"OK, fine by me." Vera replied.

She impatiently waited for him to finish the list, while tapping on the table.

"What's up, Vera?"

"Huh? Oh." she said, as she realized that he was referring to the tapping on the table.

"Are we still safe here, Bucky?"

At that, he stopped writing and looked up at her." Yeah, of course. Are you worried about your safety?"

"I'm not, I erhmm... I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I heard what you said to Steve. You told him it was time to move... the package. I assumed you were talking about me?" Bucky heard her say.

"Yes, we were talking about _you_. But this place is still the safest." He promised.

"On the phone you sounded like you desperately wanted to… **_move_** the package?"

At that, he shook his head, his lips curling upwards." Well, in my opinion it's safer to move you to another location, because it's been a whole month. What if HY... I mean what if the bad guys found out about this place?"

"But Captain America doesn't share your opinion?" Vera asked carefully.

"He usually does, but in this case he assured me that this location is the safest." Bucky replied.

"OK, if he says so. Captain America must be right." Vera replied, her brows furrowed slightly, as she chewed on her bottom lip.

Bucky observed her gorgeous face, and remarked." You don't seem convinced, Vera."

At that, she let out a breath." No, it's fine. I'm convinced."

"Are you sure?" Bucky asked.

She nodded." Yes, if he has convinced you, then... then I trust it. Because I trust _you_. Completely." Vera replied, her voice soft, emphasizing the word you.

Well, that was _it_. Bucky had gone through so much in his long life. He used to be the man who called himself James Buchanan Barnes, he used to be the Winter Soldier, he also was Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers' best friend. He knew he had more blood on his hands during the time he was the Winter Soldier, and that was something he had to live with for the rest of his life. The names and faces of all the people he had murdered haunted him in his dreams every single night. It wasn't much of a life, but he did his best to redeem himself by doing good, helping Captain America help people.

People like Vera. God, Bucky knew that he didn't deserve Vera's trust. She was so good, innocent, and endearing. Little by little, she was making him enjoy his current life, and making him see some colors in it. Colors that he forgot life had to offer. Like the color of her clothing, the color of her shiny dark brown hair, the color of her full lips, and color of her eyes. Oh, those eyes were easy to get lost into. Vera's eyes were mesmerizing; they were light grey and lit up this damned red brick house. No, he definitely didn't deserve her complete trust. He was too damaged, and his heart was beyond pitch black. And don't forget his hands; especially his left hand, the cold metal one, had taken away so much good in this world.

No, he did _not_ deserve Vera's trust at all.

"Bucky?" he heard her say.

He looked up, and saw her standing in front of him." You OK?" she asked, as she grabbed his metal hand.

As their eyes locked, blue meeting grey ones, Bucky got so lost. He wanted to get up, and run. But his legs weren't cooperating at all. No, no, no. He's been compromised! As Vera closed the gap between them, Bucky held in his breath. He wanted to tell her to stop, but the words refused to leave his lips.

He hadn't realized that a tear had rolled down his cheek, but Vera had. So she wiped it away." What's wrong?" she asked softly.

Bucky wanted to say.' I'm a bad man, Vera. I have done things, horrible things I really regret doing. I don't deserve anything good in life.'

But he was unable to say so.

Instead, he sat there like he was paralyzed. Her pretty eyes still locked on his, while her warm fingers caressed his cheek.

"Why do you look so sad? What are you thinking about, Bucky?" she asked, as her warm hand squeezed his metal hand.

"I... I, erhmm, you shouldn't look at me that way, Vera." he finally was able to say. "I don't deserve..." he continued, but she gently cut him off.

"What are you talking about? You've been keeping me safe. You saved my life twice already. You're one of the _good_ guys. You're like Captain America. And now I see sadness in your eyes; of course you deserve compassion. It's the least I can give you. Right?" Vera said, and smiled at him.

At that, he shook his head."No. You're wrong on so many levels, Vera."


	5. No training for 2 days

_**At that, he shook his head." No. You're wrong on so many levels, Vera."**_

... ... ...

"What do you mean by that?" he heard Vera say, as he broke eye contact.

Bucky didn't have the heart to answer her question, afraid that she would hate him for it.

"At that, Vera cupped his face in a gently but firm manner, wanting to show Bucky that she was being very serious." Look at me, please?" she asked.

When he looked up, and saw the way her eyes were locked on his, it became too much for him." Please, don't." were the words that tumbled from his lips.

At that very moment Vera didn't know what overcame her. It was like something had taken over her mind and body. The man in front of her had been _so_ good to her, doing his best to keep her safe and did things for her to make this damned red brick house feel like a second home. She assumed that he has been through a lot in his life. You don't get to walk around with a metal arm like his without having a colorful history. Apart from the living, breathing terrorist groups he was fighting against in his daily life, Vera knew that Bucky had his own demons he had to fight against, every single night.

"That must be exhausting, Bucky." she began, as she let go of his face.

Bucky immediately missed her warm hands on his skin, and let out a deep breath." What is?" he whispered.

"To be fighting against evil in real life and constantly battling your own demons in your mind." she stated, and then grabbed both of his hands, as her heart rammed against her ribcage.

Usually, at this point her mind would be sending her red flags. It would tell her to stop! But not this time... this time her mind did what her heart told it to do.

At that very moment, Bucky felt so connected to the wonderful brunette in front of him. She didn't know anything about his past, and still she was able to read him and understand. Every thing around him faded, when Vera pulled at both his hands, making him get on his feet. He towered over her, his eyes landing on hers once more. She had complete control over him; whatever she was about to do, he would simply comply.

"What can I do, Bucky? What can I do to help? Can I do something to make you feel better?" She asked, her eyes filled with so much compassion it hurt him.

At that, he shook his head." No. _I_ have to deal with them, because I caused them myself. It's my own fault."

Vera's eyes welled up, knowing that there was nothing she could do for him. His long hair had fallen in his face, so she brushed it away. As her warm hand connected with his face, Bucky's eyes fluttered shut once more. "Vera." he uttered, his voice so desperate it broke her heart in tiny pieces.

"Yes?" she replied, her voice breaking.

When his eyes opened, Bucky lightly grabbed the hand that was resting on his cheek. Vera held in her breath, as she looked at him. She was seeing so much of him right now. More than what he had shown of himself the last month. Bucky was opening up to her, and that made her happy but it also terrified her tremendously. What if she would fall for him? That wouldn't be wise, that much her head told her heart.

Bucky squeezed her hand gently and brought it towards his lips. His eyes fell shut, and then he kissed her hand with _so_ much warmth and intensity she swore it would make angels cry.

 ** _... Four weeks Later ..._**

At the moment, Bucky was sitting in a chair in their 'private gym'. He was resting a bit and was watching as Vera hit and kicked the punching bag, just the way he had taught her. He had been training her mercilessly, and was satisfied with the way she was improving. Bit by bit, Vera got stronger, and faster. Bucky wanted to keep it at six hours of training daily, but she insisted on training in the afternoons and evenings as well. Daily it became a nine, sometimes a ten-hour training session with Vera. The last week, her movements became more precise, and a bit more fluent. He watched, as she wiped away the sweat from her face, as she punched and kicked. Vera was very flexible indeed. At that, Bucky shook his head, trying to ignore the visions that were going through his mind with the gorgeous brunette in it. To him, Vera was this ray of light, this confident, gorgeous, kind, brilliant, and determined young woman. The way she was kicking the punching bag, would make anyone think that she was a seasoned fighter. No one would expect that she was quite new at this. But that's just the way she is. If Vera had set her mind on learning/ doing something, she gave it her all. The last few weeks, she even woke him up instead of the other way around. They also had gotten even closer, but Bucky still hadn't told her about his past. The reason for that? Well, he didn't want her to hate, or worse, be afraid of him. That's the last thing he wanted.

Vera was training, but her thoughts were no way near what she was doing at the moment. She was thinking about that attractive blue eyed man. She knew that he was watching her and that gave her a rush, her nerve endings tingling from head to her toes. As a sigh escaped her plump lips, Vera attempted not to think about Bucky in that particular way. "He's off limits, Vera." She muttered, under her breath.

She was taken out of her thoughts by Bucky. Suddenly he stood behind her.

"Vera, why don't you rest a bit. You can freshen up, and we can have a bite to eat." He suggested.

At that, Vera turned around and locked eyes with him." No, I'm not tired yet. Thirty more minutes."

"Come on, Veer. It's enough for today. It's almost 9 PM. Look at you, you're completely out of breath."

"No I'm not." Vera said stubbornly, as she let out deep breaths.

"Don't act so stubborn." Bucky replied, as he shook his head.

"OK, let's spar for ten minutes. Then I can stop." the brunette suggested, as she wiped away the sweat on her neck with a towel.

As he watched her doing that movement, Bucky's eyes landed on her neck. He then swallowed, and shook off the thought that came into his mind." No."

"Are you tired, old man?" Vera teased, while a smile graced her gorgeous face.

"You must be kidding. Are you challenging me Miss Graham?" he teased back, as he took a fighting stance.

"Don't call me that. You know what my name is."

"Yes, it's MISS Graham." he said, as they both moved around.

"Oh, you're so dead, mister 'machine-man bully'." Vera retorted, both referring to the conversation they had the night they met.

Vera charged at Bucky, and of course he anticipated her first attack. Well, he _was_ her teacher. After ten minutes laughter was heard coming from the gym. Vera had taken the opportunity to kick him in his stomach.

"Yes." She celebrated, but then Bucky took that opportunity and they fought harder, taking Vera's breath away.

He was charging at her, and she knew what he had taught her, knew how to avoid that specific attack, but she messed that part up, and there she stood with her right hand injured. Bucky immediately stopped, and stood in front of her.

"Vera, are you OK?"

Tears welled up in her grey eyes, as Vera whimpered softly. She was in utter pain." No, my hand." Bucky heard her whisper.

At that moment, Bucky knew that the pain she was in must be excruciating." Hopefully it's not broken. Come, let's take a look at your right hand. And no training for at least two days!"


	6. He's off limits

_**... A week later ...**_

Natasha Romanoff always looked good, and she knew that. With her red hair, full lips and the leather clothes she wore that clung to her body as a second skin, she was able to bring men to their knees if she wanted to. And she _did_ that from time to time; it depended on the man and the situation she was in. Most women saw her as competition, and indeed she was. But _not_ this young woman, no not her— not Vera.

Vera Graham was the nicest and kindest person Natasha had _ever_ met in her long life. Fury had required Bucky for a specific mission, so he had ordered Nat to temporarily take his place to protect the brunette. At first Nat acted reserved towards the young woman, but it didn't even take an hour, before she completely had warmed up to Vera. She was good at reading people, and immediately sensed that the brunette was the real deal. There was no one sweeter than Vera, _that_ Natasha was certain of.

" _Nat, please. Keep her safe?" Bucky asked with pleading eyes, before he went on the mission._

" _Of course!" Nat replied, and continued, because Bucky kept looking at her as if she wasn't capable of doing her job." Get out of here, Barnes. Steve and Sam are waiting! I'll keep her safe. I promise."_

" _Fine, and keep training her, OK? She's getting pretty good at it, I've noticed." Bucky said with pride in his voice, the corners of his mouth curling upwards._

" _Barnes, if you don't get out of here now—" Nat threatened, as she glared at him._

 _At that, he sighed and turned towards Vera." Nat's gonna look after you, OK? Listen to her?"_

 _Vera nodded." Of course, and be careful. See you soon."_

 _Bucky looked at Vera one last time, hesitated for a few moments like he wanted to do something, but decided not to. He then walked out the house with big steps and jumped into the small plane._

… **_Four days later…_**

"Come on, Natasha. Let me get my hands on you." The brunette said, as she held a bottle of peroxide and hair dye in her hands.

"No!" Natasha said, and walked a few steps back.

Vera pouted, and acted as if throwing a tantrum." Oh, come on Natasha! Your hair is so flowy, and shiny and soft. I _have_ to get my hands on it!"

"Vera, no." Natasha warned, holding a hand up.

At that, the wheels in Vera's head were turning, her eyebrow raising. "OK, I'll make you a deal."

"I'm listening." The red head replied, as she narrowed her green eyes.

"Let's settle this during training. Give me twenty minutes, and if I can make you fall on your back. I get to dye your hair blonde." The brunette said, as a wicked smile graced her pretty face.

"Deal." Natasha replied, assuming this newbie would _never_ be able to do just that.

… **_Twenty five minutes later …_**

"Vera, you know you cheated, right?"

"I did not! How can you insult me like that." The brunette answered with an innocent look on her face.

"You didn't say we could use any weapons." Natasha complained, her brows furrowed.

"Shut up, and close your eyes, before the peroxide drips on them." Vera laughed, as her whole body shook.

"You're one weird girl, you know." Tasha said, and shut her eyes.

"I know." The brunette giggled, and went on working on Nat's hair.

"To be honest, Veer. You're getting good at fighting."

At that, Vera beamed." Seriously?" she said, and continued." Are you joking, Nat? Because if you are, I will dye your hair green." She threatened.

Natasha began to laugh, and almost couldn't stop. Vera also laughed and kept working on Nat's hair.

"No, I'm being serious. You are getting there." Nat said, after their giggles have died down.

"Well, I have a very good teacher." Vera stated.

"Yup, you do. Have you injured yourself during training with him?" Nat asked, as she sat in the chair that Vera had turned into a salon chair for the moment.

"Uhmm— let's see. I almost broke my left hand, I have sprained both my ankles, I've a few bruised ribs— that's all." The brunette summed up, while using the fingers on her left hand.

Nat began to laugh once more, her body shaking as she did. "You are crazy, you know Veer."

"Sit still! The dye will not only color your hair, but also the rest of your face, if you keep moving like that." Vera warned, but couldn't keep a straight face herself.

"OK, I will."

"How did it go, when you almost broke your hand?" Nat asked.

"Oh, he was furious! I thought he was going to like— bite my head off or something! He immediately insisted on not training me for a few days."

"You didn't follow his instructions?"

"I tried! I really did, but then I messed up, almost breaking my hand. He _can_ be intimidating sometimes, you know." Vera replied, and rolled her eyes as she thought back on that particular evening.

After half an hour, when Vera had rinsed, blow-dried, and curled Nat's hair, she motioned her to look in the mirror." Go on, take a look." She said, as she smiled.

"Oh my God! Who the hell is the woman staring back at me in the mirror? You're good, really good, Veer." Nat exclaimed.

"It's the new and improved you." Vera replied, and smiled from ear to ear.

"This is nice. Thank you, Vera. I mean it. You're _so_ sweet." Nat said, and wanted to hug the brunette, but hesitated.

It's been a while since someone had done something nice for Natasha without an agenda, without wanting something in return. A huge lump had formed in her throat, as she looked at Vera. She was like the little sister she never had, but always wanted.

"Come on, let's whip up something to eat. I'm starving. You?" Vera said, and dragged Nat into the kitchen.

... .. ...

At the moment, Vera and Nat were eating dessert.

"This is really good, Veer."

"I know right? Bucky taught me."

"Seriously?" Nat asked, baffled.

Vera nodded, and said."Uhum... he found a cooking book in the attic and one day started to cook."

"You are joking, right?"

"No, I'm serious." Vera replied, and took a big bite of her pie.

At that, Natasha stopped eating, contemplating how to start a new topic." Veer?"

"Huh?" Vera looked at Nat, and saw that she was thinking hard.

"I wanna ask you something." Nat said.

"OK, I'm all ears." the brunette said, and looked at Nat questioningly.

"You like Bucky, don't you?"

At that, Vera almost choked on her pie. She took a sip of her juice and looked at Nat." You've noticed, huh? But I haven't acted on my feelings. We haven't... it's not like he likes me too, you know. I know he's off limits." Vera babbled, and almost couldn't stop.

"Uhuh, I've noticed. And that's not even the worse part." Nat stated.

Vera cleared her throat, suddenly feeling like the dining room had caught fire. With her cheeks flushed, she carefully asked." What's the worst part?"

But just as Nat was about to answer Vera's burning question, they both heard gun shuts. Loud ones...

"Vera, get down!" Nat shouted, while jumping over the table without hesitation, and crashed onto the floor taking Vera down with her.

* * *

Note: Thanks for reading.


	7. Home

**_A/N: Today I've posted 2 chapters. ( chap 6 and 7)_**

* * *

Vera woke up startled and felt a burning pain on both her wrists. As her eyes had adjusted to the scarce lighting in the room, she quickly scanned her surroundings and noticed that it was small. Vera was all tight up in a chair with her hands behind her back; her feet were also tied up.

'Damn it! Where am I?' she thought. Vera attempted to get her hands free, but with no success. They had securely tied her up. Her whole body ached from the sitting position she was in; it probably had been hours since they had grabbed her. Multiple times she had tried to get herself free, but gave up after a while, groaning loudly out of frustration.

"Aaargh! Hello! Get me outta here! Damn it! Hello! What do you want from me? Get me out!" Vera exclaimed.

But no one seems to hear her, making her angry and afraid. How did she end up here? And then she remembered.

 ** _*FLASHBACK*_**

 _"Vera, get down!" Nat shouted, while jumping over the table without hesitation, and crashed onto the floor taking Vera down with her._

 _"Nat! What's happening?" she asked, as she attempted to get up, her voice trembling heavily._

 _Without saying a word Natasha roughly grabbed Vera and dragged her towards the stairs. Nat motioned her to go up, so she did, hastily walking towards the bedrooms, almost stumbling in the process. Vera didn't look back, because she knew that this was a life or dead situation._

 _'When things would get ugly, you_ ** _have_** _to do exactly as I say, OK? You could be dead, if you don't." Bucky told her every freaking day!_

 _And in this case, Vera had to do exactly what Nat instructed her to do, because Bucky wasn't here. In the chaos downstairs she heard Nat fighting off the men, hearing gunshots and bodies falling down, loud thuds and screams. Vera was beyond terrified, her whole body shaking, not knowing what was about to happen next. She didn't know how many people Natasha was up against, but from the sound of it there must have been a lot. Vera just wished that she could help her friend somehow. But that wasn't Nat's instruction; Vera couldn't leave her spot, as much as she wanted to help. At a certain point, the gunshots had subsided a bit, and there was less screaming._

 _She knew that she shouldn't, but Vera couldn't help herself, wanting to see if Nat was OK. She carefully came out from her hiding spot, but it was then when one huge looking man came into view, and looked at her with menacing eyes._

 _"Fuck!" Vera cursed out from under her breath._

 _She wanted to run, but he grabbed her roughly with his disgusting hands. 'Fuck!' She thought, and struck him as hard as she was able to. Bucky had taught her well. At first the man was taken aback, surprised that she had punched him on his chin. He even stumbled back from the force of it. At that, Vera took her fighting position, but he laughed at her. Compared to him, Vera was very petite. The man was muscled, big and tall, and at that moment she was scared out of her mind, but Bucky had trained her for this. She was going to use what he had taught her on her attacker._

 _" I can do this." she whispered._

 _Vera waited for him to attack first; Bucky had taught her to not use all her energy in a fight. If her assailant was stronger and bigger than her, she had to wait for him to make the first move. Vera was small and fast and could try to avoid the punches that came. They fought for a while, and she was doing OK. He had kicked Vera in the stomach and punched her also, and she even tasted the blood in her mouth, but she refused to give in so easily._

 _"No! You will probably overpower me, but I won't go down without a fight! Come on, is that all you've got?" She hissed, her body aching tremendously, as she glared at the man, throwing daggers at him with her eyes._

 _Vera was terrified, but kept hitting and kicking him also, making him very angry. At one point, she had her back to the stairs, and it was then, when she felt two strong hands hold her tightly. She couldn't move, because the other person was too strong for her._ _The man she had been fighting walked up to Vera and had a smirk on his face._

 _"It's a good thing that you are important to us, if you weren't you'd be dead by now." the man growled, as he grabbed his gun from its holster._

 _Vera glared at him, and without hesitation spit on the bully's face." Where's my friend?" Vera shouted, and looked down at the living room._

 _'Natasha. Oh, God! Natasha.' Vera wanted to_ ** _scream_** _, but her vocal cords refused to cooperate, as her eyes landed on a familiar body down stairs. She was lying on the floor, her blonde hair sprawled out, her right hand was covered in blood, as she weakly pressed into her stomach._

 _"No! Nat." Vera exclaimed, while tears ran down her face._

 _"Shut up!" the man yelled, but Vera fought back and kicked the man in front of her with such a force that his nose started bleeding a lot._

 _"Good, I broke your nose! Does it hurt?" Vera shouted._

 _"Bitch!" he hissed, and hit Vera on her head with the gun._

 _"Nat!" was the last thing she said, before complete darkness had taken over her._

 ** _*End of FLASHBACK*_**

At the memory, a loud sob escaped her pale lips. 'My God! Nat!'

At that very moment Vera hoped and prayed that Natasha was OK. "Oh God, please. Let her be OK."

Vera was terrified, and worried about Nat, but she _at_ _least_ had to try to get out of this freaking place! As she forcefully wiggled in the chair, she fell forward and ended with her face flat on the dirty, cold floor.

"Fuck!" Vera shouted, and swallowed hard.

Now she was in a much more difficult position. She groaned from frustration and again scanned her surroundings with her eyes. The room she was in had bad lighting, was dirty and very small. There was only one door and no windows at all. At a certain point she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. What were they going to do with her? She was terrified, and suddenly felt a panic attack coming up. Within a few minutes it had gotten _so_ bad, consuming her whole being.

As her breaths became ragged and shallow, Vera remembered the exercise her therapist had taught her during their sessions.

"OK, OK. Vera, be calm OK?" She said, her voice breaking, while attempting the panic exercise.

She had to take her mind off the horrible situation she was in at the moment." OK, I can do this. OK." As her eyes fell shut, she inhaled deeply and let it out slowly.

Blue eyes... sparkling, clear blue eyes locking on hers. Kind, beautiful blue eyes. Cold, but gentle metal fingers... _Bucky_.

At that, she wondered if they were looking for her. Captain America, the others and Bucky. Were they looking for her and Nat? Of course they were! There was no doubt about that. _He_ \- they were coming to get her out. Yes they were. Yes, Bucky was most definitely on his way.

As Vera squeezed her eyes shut, she thought back at the first time that he had wrapped his arms around her. She remembered how startled she was, and that she almost pushed him away. But she didn't and instead allowed it, getting enveloped by his warmth and his soft caress, as he soothed her, while she sobbed into his warm chest. She remembered how her face had landed in the crook of his neck, Vera unintentionally breathing in his wonderful scent. He smelled of a cologne, fresh and fruity... That night she felt like she finally was home, and safe...

Vera didn't realize that she wasn't alone anymore, until she heard a voice say." Miss Graham, tsk tsk tsk. Vera, my dear. What have you gotten yourself into?"

* * *

 _ **Note: Thanks for reading.**_


	8. Darkness, Guilt, Coldness, Pain, Fear

**_Note: So... this chapter is all mine. From here on out, I will be continuing this story. ;)_**

 ** _I hope you find that I'm doing the original author justice. Hope you like._**

* * *

Vera sat in a chair, as she glared at the man who was sitting across from her. He had short blond hair, was broad and tall, approximately 6' 5" or taller, and he looked very intimidating. The suit he was wearing was an expensive one. From her previous experiences dating filthy rich upper class guys, when she was younger… years ago, Vera knew his suit was designer. Like he had been attending some fancy party, when they informed him that she was found and captured.

He probably wanted something important from her, not even taking the time to change before coming here in this hellhole.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, the venom in her voice evident and clear." And where is my _friend_? What have you done to _Natasha_?"

The man stared down at her with those green, pale eyes of him, the look on his face expressionless. A chill went up her spine, but Vera acted like she wasn't afraid of the man.

"Please tell me, is my friend OK?" Vera asked, while throwing daggers at the blond man and began tugging at her restraints." _Where_ is she?!"

"Why don't you worry about yourself, Miss Graham." He warned." You are in big trouble right now, so why don't you think of yourself first rather than worrying about some Russian _bitch_."

Vera got up from her chair and tugged harder on the cuffs, making the chain on it clank continuously." How dare you. You and your men are _fucking_ cowards. Go to hell!" she spat, while attempting to push the tears back.

'No… she couldn't lose Natasha. She was her friend. _No_.' was what went through her head.

"Sit down, Miss Graham!" He threatened." Or you will regret it."

She huffed and glared at the man, but kept standing instead of doing what he had ordered." I'll regret it? Really?" Vera replied." From where I'm standing, I assume you _need_ me. Because like one of your thugs pointed out earlier, you want something from **_me_**."

The man clenched his jaw and said." Don't get too cocky, Miss Graham."

"Or what? What are you gonna do?" Vera asked mockingly, her eyebrow raised." Kill me?"

At that, a sound left the blond man's lips, almost seemed like a laugh. However, his eyes weren't laughing. " No, not at all. We still need you, Vera. And may I add, you're just as _stubborn_ like your father was. I should've expected it." he pointed out, and looked at Vera, his lifeless eyes boring into hers .

As those words reached Vera's ears, her hands started to tremble, her throat closing up." How dare you. Was it _you_? Were you responsible for… " she said, not being able to finish the question. Tears began to pool in Vera's eyes, as she watched the blond man. He was smiling now. He was straight up laughing at her… at what he had done?!

At first she felt an unbearable pain cutting right through her heart and soul. But as seconds passed, Vera only felt anger and rage boiling inside of her." Is that why you murdered him? My father didn't give you what you wanted from him? You _fucking_ bastard!" Vera shouted, as tears spilled from her pretty grey eyes." You _murdered_ him!"

As gut wrenching sobs escaped her pale lips, she became hysterical at one point, the pain and rage inside of her consuming Vera from the inside out.

' _He_ was responsible for my father's death.' Was the sentence that kept bouncing in her skull... For his murder!

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, making Vera loose it completely. The image of her father's bloody dead body was instantly invading her mind… She totally lost it and began tugging and pulling on the restraints, not caring she was hurting herself, causing the skin on her wrists to break gradually. At a certain point, she screamed at the top of her lungs, cursing at the man who sat across from her.

The blond man got up from his seat and called two of his men." Get the doctor and tell him to bring a sedative to shut her up!" he ordered." We don't want Miss Graham to hurt herself more."

He knew that no one was going to be able to calm her down, so the blond man waited and watched Vera as she acted out.

In no time, an older man in a white coat walked in the room with a syringe in his hand. He and the two thugs closed in on Vera, but she kept screaming and began kicking the three men. She wasn't thinking clearly at this point, the rage inside of her consuming Vera till she reached her breaking point.

Forgotten were Bucky's tips and advice on how to assess and handle stressful situations, too angry and hurt to act calm and think clearly. And yet she was able to kick and bring down one thug. In a flash, Vera then kicked the doctor mercilessly in the face, making him scream in pain, while blood spilled from him and in the process dropping the syringe.

Vera stepped instantly on said syringe and wanted to attack the second thug, but she was too late. In the meantime, the blond man had grabbed a tranquilizer gun and shot Vera in her neck.

Her eyes instantly darted towards the blond man, as Vera slowly started to sink down to the floor, her legs giving out, while a lonely tear rolled down her cheek." I'll **_never_ ** give you what you want… I'm m… my f… father's daughter." She whispered, and then it became dark before her very eyes.

At that very moment, the blond man knew that Vera was being very honest with him. She was _not_ going to help HYDRA willingly. He didn't think torture will change her mind. However, he couldn't torture the girl either. She had to help his cause... _HYDRA's_ cause, and needed her to have her full strength and mind in doing so.

So, he couldn't let anyone torture the girl… not a hair on her head should be touched!

It was then, when he knew he made a _grave_ mistake. He should not have let Natalia bleed to death. Instead he should've let his men grab that Russian bitch!

That would've made Vera cooperate… _that_ he was sure of. From what he has seen, Miss Graham was very attached to the Russian bitch. He could've used Natalia as leverage… Shit. Crap!

* * *

 _Darkness_. _Guilt_. _Coldness_. _Pain_. _Fear_.

Those were the things Natasha felt, as she desperately tried to gasp for air. She wanted to open her eyes and see, but something was holding her down. Some invisible force. From afar she heard people talking… shouting and felt hands on her chest and stomach. As their words reached her ears, she concentrated on listening what they were saying. But without any success… To her, it seemed like they were talking gibberish.

Natasha Romanoff was her name. That's something she was sure of. As she gave up attempting on opening her eyes, she wrestled with her mind. What happened? How did she end up here, surrounded by all this darkness and utter pain?

She tried so hard, but she could not remember a single thing. As Natasha attempted to open her eyes again, she was blinded by a very bright light and so she was forced to close her eyes once more. All of a sudden she was able to hear clearly.

"You brought her back, Bruce! She has a pulse! I really thought that we had lost her… she had lost _so_ much blood, when I found her." Natasha heard a voice say from afar.

It was… it was Bucky.

As Natasha attempted to open her eyes for the second time, she felt an excruciating pain. And though the pain almost knocked her out, she managed to open her eyes…

She saw Bruce, Bucky, Steve and Clint and realized that she was back in Stark Tower. Oh, yes. Now she remembers... They had brought her back? She was in that safe house, right? She was with… OMG!

At that, tears began to pool in Natasha's eyes and she sat up, frantically attempting to get on her feet.

"Vera…" Natasha said, as a gut wrenching sob escaped her pale lips. She then sucked in a much needed deep breath, but the moment she did, she felt a gnawing pain in her chest and stomach.

As tears rolled down her cheeks, she gasped softly." Vera… I have to save…"

"Oh, God. Bruce, she's awake! "Natasha heard Bucky shout.

Tears spilled from her eyes and she muttered." The p- pain…"

"Hey Bruce, give her a sedative!" Natasha heard Steve say.

"No, I don't w... want th- that! I wanna b... be awake… Vera…" Natasha pleaded with her last strength.

Steve ignored her and said." Bruce! The sedative."

Without hesitation, Bruce walked over to the cabinet. He then grabbed a syringe from inside and the bottle with sedative. Bruce expertly filled the syringe with the liquid, as his heart thumped wildly against his chest.

"Natasha, you're in pain. I'll give you something so you can fall asleep, OK?" He said, while standing in front of the cabinet, a few steps away from her.

Bruce's eyes landed on her green ones, as he observed her. Natasha locked her eyes on him, as she thought about Vera… oh, God. She had let that sweet young woman slip through her fingers… at _that,_ Natasha felt a gut wrenching pain in her heart.

Her eyes then darted towards Bucky. Oh, no… he stood in the doorway, his face expressionless. However, Natasha knew him well. He had his guard up, acting all emotionless but she knew he was hurting. In one split second, Natasha saw agony and utter fear in Bucky's eyes... They were there, because of Vera… Because she, Natasha Romanoff, had let HYDRA capture Vera…

Natasha felt so guilty about it, because she had promised Bucky that she was going to protect Vera… But, she had let him down.

Natasha then turned her face away from Bucky, the guilt consuming her completely. She didn't have the heart to see disappointment in his eyes too. Anger or rage, she could handle. But disappointment? No.

When he was done filling the syringe, Bruce walked from the cabinet towards Natasha. He immediately injected her with the sedative. He observed her and noticed a certain look on her face. A face of someone who was on the verge of giving it all up…

'No! I'm not going to give you that satisfaction, Natasha! I'm not going to let you give up!' was what bounced in Bruce's skull.

As Natasha felt the needle pierce her skin, her eyes then darted towards Clint's. He also watched as she attempted to shake her head, pleading for Bruce not to make her sleep.

"Vera…" she croaked.

After a few seconds that felt like forever, Natasha felt herself slipping away into the darkness again. Her eyes automatically fluttered shut. At that very moment, she refused to go back there and desperately fought to stay awake. She had to hold on! Natasha frantically searched for something to hold onto… she wanted to hold onto…

Natasha didn't want to go back to before… she didn't want to go back to the nightmares, the Darkness, the cold, the Pain and the Fear…

She wanted to stay here; she _had_ to get Vera out.

So, with her very last strength, Natasha brought her hand towards Clint's… her best friend. As his hand collided with hers, Natasha felt calmness take over her body. He was holding her so tightly… like a promise. He was promising her that he'd always have her back.

At that, Natasha's green eyes slowly fluttered open and they locked with Clint's once more.

All of a sudden, Clint had a huge lump in his throat. In Natasha's eyes, he no longer saw someone who was willing to fight for every single person in their group.

The fire in her eyes had died down and was gone… it was completely gone.

No! This can't be! Clint couldn't let her give up so easily! He looked at her with pleading eyes and as Clint's heart pounded against his rib cage, he whispered.

"It's OK. You're gonna be okay. I'm here. You're my best friend. And I'm not gonna let you give up yet, Natasha. Not when I'm still around. As long as I'm here and breathing, I will do _everything_ in my power to get you back the fire in your eyes. I will, I promise… But for now, you can let go. Go to sleep."

As those words tumbled from his lips and reached Natasha's ears, she finally let go and closed her eyes. He was here… her best friend in the _whole_ world.

And so, Natasha wasn't afraid to go into darkness anymore. Clint had given her the strength to face the Darkness, the guilt, the Fear and the Pain…

* * *

 ** _Note: So... phew. :) Tell me what you think of the chapter?_**

 ** _And of course thank you for the faves, follows and for reading. :)_**

 ** _Guest: Thank you for the review. Yes, we will get there. But the thing is: At the moment our heroes don't know that 'The Winter Soldier' had assassinated Vera's father. Not even Bucky knows... yet._**


	9. My baby girl

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Captain America**

 **This chapter is also all mine... ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **My baby girl**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

The first thing Vera noticed when her eyes fluttered open was the time. As her eyes landed on her watch, she calculated how long she had been out. Crap! She had been unconscious for at least six hours! The second she noticed was that both her hands were free. She wasn't tied up any longer, so Vera instantly examined her wrists and saw that someone had patched them up. As her mind brought her back, Vera remembered how she had tugged at her restraints, causing the skin on her wrists to break.

It still burned like a bitch, but it was nothing compared to the splitting head ache she had right now. She felt as if her head was about to explode any minute now. While massaging her temples carefully, Vera felt a gut-wrenching pain shoot through her heart, the feeling so gnawing and unbearable, making her want to scream aloud…

That blond man… he was the one who was responsible for her father's murder! As the images of her dead father plagued her once more, Vera sobbed softly.

"Daddy." Was all she could say at the moment.

As the minutes crept by, Vera lied on the bed with a hand over her heart. She missed her father so much right now. Why?

What did her father ever do to that blond man?! Vera's father was such a good man… he didn't deserve to die like that. Nobody did…

At the moment she wanted nothing more than to wallow in her own misery, feeling sorry for herself. However, Vera knew she shouldn't. She had to at least try to get out. As her eyes fluttered shut, she ordered herself to toughen up!

Someone— well, of course she meant Bucky, had taught Vera not to let her emotions overpower her no matter how terrifying or difficult the situation. By allowing it to do so, Vera could make mistakes and get herself in more trouble or even hurt.

At that, Vera cleared her throat and frantically wiped away her tears.' Toughen up, Vera!' Was what she demanded from herself, attempting with all her might to tuck away her damn feelings, while doing her best to gather her courage.

Vera then sat up and scanned her surroundings. She was in a small room, but this one was cleaner than the first one she was in. As her eyes darted around she noticed the scarce furniture; there was the bed she was sitting on, a chair and a small table.

On said table was a bottle of water and also juice. Besides the drinks, Vera also saw a bowl with a lid on it. She assumed that food was in it. Vera was hungry at the moment, but wasn't sure if her stomach would hold the food if she would eat.

She was way too nervous, on edge and terrified...

As her eyes darted towards the bottle of water once more, Vera licked her lips. Boy, she was so thirsty! It felt as if she hadn't drunk anything in ages! It dawned on her at that moment that her throat felt so freaking dry.

Vera was suspicious of the food and water. However, she didn't think her captor would poison her or something.

They kept her in here, because they wanted… **_needed_ ** her. If that was not the case, she wouldn't be here right now. The heartless blond man surely would've given the order to murder her!

As a sigh escaped her lips, Vera decided not to overthink it and got up from the small bed. She then grabbed the bottled water and took a few swigs from it. Aaah… that feels nice… She was really thirsty without even realizing it.

At that, Vera drank the bottle till it was empty. After throwing the bottle in the trashcan, she looked around and noticed that there was just that one door and no window… not at all.

Crap!

As a sigh escaped her lips, Vera thought about Natasha, worrying about her friend immensely.

"God, let her be OK." She prayed.

At that moment Vera wished that Bucky or the others had already found and helped Natasha." Please, let her be OK." She whispered, and took a seat in the chair, while massaging her neck (where the dart from the tranquilizer gun had pierced on her skin hours ago)

Vera let out a deep breath and couldn't help but think about the one she missed more than anyone right now.

Bucky…

His kind, clear blue eyes were imprinted into her mind, just the thought of not seeing those anymore too difficult for Vera to bear right now.

No! She shouldn't think that negative! She had to be positive… Bucky and the others _will_ come and get her out of this hellhole. Vera's eyes fluttered shut and couldn't help thinking back on the time she met Bucky till the day he left for that mission…

She had spent all this time _alone_ with him in that red brick house, and of course she _knew_ he was off limits… God, did she know that!

However, like the song; the heart wants what it wants...

Vera then whispered. "And right now my heart wanted Bu…" she said, but instantly stopped when the door swung open.

She immediately got up from the chair, took her stance, prepared to defend herself. Vera watched as a guard pushed an older woman inside the room and after that, slamming the door shut.

Vera's eyes darted from the door towards the woman, her brows furrowed." Lady, are you OK?" she asked, and watched as the woman turned her face.

The woman looked at Vera, her eyes widening like she recognized her." Oh my God…V… Vera?" the woman said, as tears pooled in her pretty grey eyes.

Vera shook her head and tried her very best, but she didn't recognize the older woman. She then helped the woman get on her feet and gestured her to sit in the chair.

"Sit please, I'll get you something to drink." Vera said, and walked over to the small table to grab the juice.

The whole time, the brunette just stared at Vera, her grey eyes observing and following her nonstop. It was like the older woman couldn't get enough of looking at Vera. She had a longing look in her eyes, as if she had finally found what she had been looking for, relief and disbelief written on her beautiful face.

"Drink this. You look like you haven't had anything t…" Vera offered, but stopped mid-sentence because the woman grabbed the bottle and began drinking the liquid like her life depended on it.

She finished the juice within minutes, and then she locked eyes with Vera once more." Thank you _so_ much, Vera dear."

As those two last words reached Vera's ears, something inside her head clicked. She concentrated, trying her best to remember why the words sounded so familiar… it was not so much those words… no, it was more the _manner_ that Vera recognized.

However, no matter how hard Vera tried, she couldn't place the woman or her voice.

As a sigh escaped her lips, Vera closed the gap between them and looked the older woman straight in the eyes. (Even her eyes looked _so_ familiar)

"Lady, I have to ask… who are you? Do I know you from somewhere?" Vera asked, while she furrowed her brows, still attempting to dig into her mind, wanting desperately to know who this brunette was, but it was like something was blocking her memories.

As a lonely tear rolled down the woman's cheek, she asked, her voice trembling heavily." Don't… baby girl, don't you recognize me? It's me…"

She shook her head at that, while observing the woman's whole demeanor.

Vera still didn't know what these people( HYDRA) wanted from her and she had made it very clear to the tall, blond man that she would _**never**_ help him or his cause.

Bucky had taught Vera to _never_ trust anyone —especially strangers. This woman was a stranger; one Vera felt she should not trust at all. But then again, why did she look at Vera in _that_ manner, like the woman recognized and knew her?

Vera knew that she had to be very cautious around strangers, especially _this_ one. That much Vera learned from her friend… well, _crush_ was the proper name for it…

Bucky had prepared her for a lot of things and not only taught her to fight and defend herself. He had also taught Vera how to asses and handle situations such as this one. As she observed the brunette from head to toe, Vera noticed how well groomed the woman was.

Yeah, she looked a bit disheveled, her mascara smudged and her grey eyes red and puffy. However, Vera's gut told her to be _very_ cautious, red flags popping inside her head at that moment.

The older woman then got on her feet also and smiled through her tears. She slowly brought a hand towards Vera, making her flinch.

"Why? I… I uhmm, I am not gonna hurt you, baby girl." The older woman said, her eyes pleading." It's me…"

Vera's chest heaved, as her eyes locked on the woman." Who… who are you?" she asked, her voice a mere whisper, as if Vera was afraid to hear the answer to that question.

"It's me… I'm your _mother_ , Vera." Were the words that tumbled from her pale lips.

Vera swallowed at hearing that, her heart thumping wildly against her chest. All kinds of different emotions washed over her, disbelief in her pretty grey eyes…

She shook her head furiously at that." N-noo… no. My mom she… I…" Vera said, unable to process those words, her brain at the moment almost imploding in her head.

The older woman nodded and touched Vera's cheek." It's true, _my baby_ _girl_. It's me. Mommy."

Vera gasped for air, feeling a panic attack near. She hadn't seen her mom since she was five, almost six years old! No, no, no, no, no. This couldn't be her mom!

All of this was that blond man's doing! Maybe… maybe Vera was not really awake right now! Maybe this was a _disgusting_ trick to get her to do what they wanted from her!

No… this was most definitely not real. The woman in front of her was not her mom! Maybe this woman was a shape-shifter? Those creatures do exist, right?!

Or Vera was hallucinating at the moment… maybe they _spiked_ the water.

Shit! She shouldn't have drunk said water.

However, no one else had ever called Vera _**baby**_ _**girl**_ … only her mother had done that. So… if this moment right now was a dream or a trick, how in the hell did they know how her mother used to call her all those years ago? It was an endearment only used by her mom…

As the woman caressed Vera's locks, she smiled sadly." Of course you've forgotten about me…" she commented." But I assure you, Vera. I am your mother."

Vera took a step back at that, opening the gap between them and was just about to ask the woman a question, when she heard gun shots and an ear deafening explosion!

"Get down!" Vera shouted.

Without hesitation, she jumped at the older woman, bringing the both of them down.

Vera lied down on the bedroom floor and waited. She remembered Bucky's instructions very well…

If she was captured and when he and the others came to get her out, Vera had to stay put! Bucky, Nat, Sam or Steve was going to find her…

In a situation like this, Vera knew that she shouldn't go out there. They were fighting the men who called themselves HYDRA. Well, that's what one of the thugs had told her, before the blond tall man had spoken to Vera hours ago.

She had rolled her eyes at the thug, because he said it with such pride in his voice… Then the man repeated two words that instantly made Vera's skin crawl, "Hail HYDRA!" he had chanted with such conviction and pride.

So, here she was still lying low on the cold bedroom floor with the woman who called herself her mother next to her.

"Maybe we should try to get out," the woman suggested." They will be too busy fighting each other to notice us escaping."

Vera shook her head furiously," No! I have to stay and wait," she pointed out." He will… I mean Bucky will come and get me."

"No, what if HYDRA overpowers your friends?" the woman asked, the tone of her voice low.

At that, Vera glared at the woman," No! Buc… my friends will get m…" she began but was cut off by the door.

Vera was startled, as the door got broken down by a force…

As her grey eyes darted upwards, Vera was _not_ surprised at all by the one who had kicked down said door. In her previous experience with Bucky on the first night in the safe house, he had _also_ broken down the bathroom door...

So… no surprise there, when Vera instantly locked on a pair of relieved looking, clear blue eyes.

"Vera," was the only thing that tumbled from his lips.

In a blink of an eye Bucky knelled in front of her and offered Vera his metal hand. (He had a semi-automatic rifle in the right one)

As his eyes locked onto hers, Vera's heart thumped wildly against her rib cage, her throat closing up, while stubborn tears pooled in her eyes. She really thought that she'd never see those beautiful blue eyes again… and touch the cold metal of his fingers.

Vera cleared her throat, and said, "Bucky… I was _so_ afraid. I thought that I…" she began, but was cut off by Sam.

"Hey, you two _love_ _birds_! We have to go! Now!" he shouted, and charged at one of HYDRA's many men.

* * *

 _ **Note: So... can Vera trust the woman who calls herself Vera's mother?**_

 _ **Thanks for reading! :)**_

 **J**


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